The previous installment of our New Testament prayer discussion focused on The Lord's Prayer as a model for Christian prayer. What we will look at in this article is the place of prayer throughout the New Testament. We will do this because prayer, as much as any other element, binds the second testament together. We will begin with prayers around the birth of Jesus, continue with Jesus' prayers and then move into the prayers of Paul in his letters.
The Gospel of Luke begins with the acknowledgement that Zechariah the priest and his wife had been praying for a child. An angel says to Zechariah, "Do not be afraid for your prayer is heard…" (Luke 1:13). We move from this prayer to Mary's prayer of praise which she offers when she is told she will bear the messiah. It begins, "My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my savior" (Luke 1:46-47). The opening chapter of Luke finishes with Zechariah praising God for the gift of his son John, "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel for he has visited his people" (Luke 1:68). Soon after Jesus' birth we meet Simeon who gives thanks to the Lord (Luke 2:29ff) and Anna who worshipped, fasted and prayed every day (Luke 2:37).
The recorded prayers of Jesus are relatively few, though the scriptures make it clear that prayer was an integral part of Jesus' life. The prayers of Jesus which have been preserved are those which were offered to God at significant moments in Jesus ministry. The first appears in Matthew 11:25 which is a transition point between Jesus' initial teaching ministry and his laying claim to the messiahship. Jesus prays, "I thank thee Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hidden these things from the wise and understanding…." This prayer is a reminder of why Jesus will be rejected by the religious authorities. Next we have Jesus praying to raise Lazarus from the dead (John 11:41ff). Jesus asks God to raise Lazarus in order that people will believe that Jesus is the one sent from God. In John 12:27 we listen to Jesus wrestling in prayer, with his impending crucifixion. This prayer will be echoed in the other gospels when we find Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane (Matt. 26:39ff; Luke 22:42; Mark 14:43). John 17 contains one long prayer. Jesus prays for himself, for his disciples and for all of his followers who were and are to come. Finally we hear Jesus praying on the cross, "My God, My God why have you forsaken me?" (Matt. 27:46; Mark 15:34) as well asking forgiveness for those who crucified him (Luke 23:34).
Finally we have the prayers of the Apostle Paul. Paul's prayers throughout his letters and in the Book of Acts are so numerous that we could spend weeks looking at them. What I want to do instead is to look at some of the topics Paul covers in his prayers. One of the most prominent topics for Paul is that of Christian living; that Jesus' followers live lives which reflect the love and grace of Christ (2 Cor. 13:7-9; Phil. 1:9-11; Col. 1:9-10; 1 The. 3:12-13, 5:23). A second topic of prayer is the Apostle praying for himself and his ministry asking that God would bless and protect not only him but also those who share in Christian work (Rom. 1:9-11, 15:30-31; Eph. 6:19; Col. 1:10; 2 Thes. 1:11, 3:1). Strengthening is a third area of prayer. Paul prays that Jesus' followers will have all the power they need to succeed (Eph. 3:16-17; Col. 1:10-11; 1 Thes. 3:13; 2 Thes. 2:16). Next, as one who was well educated the Apostle Paul prays that Christians grow in the knowledge of God (Eph. 1:17; Col. 9-10), of God's will (Phil. 1:9-10; Col. 1:9), of God's love (Eph. 3:17b-19), of the hope of God's calling (Eph. 1:18) and of all that God has given us (Eph. 1:18; Philemon 1:6). In addition Paul prays for more love (Phil. 1:9; 1 Thes. 3:12; 2 Thes. 3:5), Christian unity (Rom. 15:5-6), hope (Rom. 15:13) and grace and peace for believers (too many passages to mention).
My hope is that his brief overview of prayer will help us to see that prayer is central to our identity as Christians and essential to our own spiritual journeys.
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